Let Us Be Brave
by PinkCottonCandyCane
Summary: Some people can hear better than others. Some can see better than others. Some can smell better than others. Some can catch diseases better than others. When three people come in contact with Homunculi, their bodies absorb their abilites and alter them through stages of metamorphosis. And this causes problems for everyone. EdxOc, GreelingxOc, Minor EnvyxOc & Royai
1. Phase One

**Hiya! The OCs in this story take a major role! I can promise you that the next chapter will be better. I hope you'll give it a chance at least. The song I used and recommend you listen to is:**

**ILLUSION- VNV NATION**

**I am working on Unnaturally Normal and etc. My computer is in the shop and long story short: I'm at the library on Google Drive for hours on end trying to do this. Hope you enjoy! Please take mercy on my poor and pathetic soul! R&R**

**Disclaimer: I only own the OCs people, and I sadly don't own FMA.**

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**_I know it's hard to tell how mixed up you feel_**

**_Hoping what you need is behind every door_**

The green grass spread out for miles across the starlit field. The stars above shone scarlet red, alice blue, and snow white. The full moon watched the two children from above, bathing them in it's pearly white, fluorescent light. The girl with the blonde ringlets twirled, her thin arms flailing over her head, her rich lilac skirt taking on a dome-like shape. The brown-haired boy let out a laugh, crossing his arms over his small chest as he did so.

Finally, a bit decisively, the girl fell into the soft bed of grass, her arms extended to her sides like a bird. Letting out a huff of exhaustion, she lifted her right arm toward the sky, her hand spread out with her palm facing the sky. She curled her fingers closed, as if imagining herself grabbing the star overhead in her dainty hand. "What's that one's name again?"

Her question didn't faze the boy a bit. She would remember the name one minute and forget it the next. But nonetheless, he never refused to answer the young girl. She had a natural curiosity that was better satisfied momentarily than left unattended entirely.

"Polaris, Dana. That's Polaris. The North Star."

"Oh," Her innocence reflected even in her words. "That's my favorite." She muttered something under her breath, and the boy barely caught hold of it before the wind did.

"It was mother's favorite."

He couldn't help the sad smile that tugged on the corner of his lips. He stole a glance up at the star, it's luminosity bouncing off of his warm bister-colored orbs. "Say, Dana. You know why the star's so bright, don't ya?"

She rolled her glistening eyes, pulling her knees up to her chest. "You've told me that story at least a million times."

"You're never too old for a history lesson," He assured, holding out a hand to silence her.

"It's a faerie tale," She said, mocking his serious tone. "And you're not exactly a 'wise owl' compared to me, Zak. You're only three years older than me."

"The 'wise owl' resents that," He mumbled before throwing his arms skyward with a large grin.

Each time you get hurt, I don't want you to change

Because everyone has hopes, you're human after all

The door knob slowly, silently turned. She crept through the hallway that smelled of beer and smoke, and truth be told, a bit of human waste. Her eyes widened as she nearly stumbled over unconscious body, dressed in nothing but a mere terry-cloth. Hesitantly, she made her way to the staircase at the end of the hall. Her father was already upstairs, locked away in the master bedroom. Her eyes squeezed shut as the moans reached her young ears.

Her fingernails dug into her palms, her knuckles white as her hands balled into fists. Hushed tears streamed down her pale cheeks in unison.

If I died, she thought to herself, the world would continue to move along as if nothing happened. And so would he.

She made her way down the staircase, not caring when she nearly stepped on the groin of an olive-toned man, who swapped a pipe with the auburn-haired woman next to him. She mind ignored the fact that the man looked to be in his early twenties and the woman looked as though she should be at home with her grandchildren.

The front door was wide open, a drunk man leaning against it for support as he slurred words to another that sat cross-legged on the porch, smirking like the sly fox he believed he was.

The girl gracefully avoided their eyes, tip-toeing her way to the window that was left ajar. When she reached the window, her heart hammered against her chest. The note she'd left on her old mahogany desk made a reappearance in her skull.

When you realize I'm gone, I'll only be a memory. Just like mom and Benita. - Kaede

She didn't regret it. The bundle of crisp dollar bills weighed heavy against her left thigh. The thought brought a small smile to her face. How long would it be before he realized that was gone as well?

No money for drugs, women, or expenses for that matter.

Hell, the money wasn't even his to begin with. It was originally her college fund, her ticket to Central. It was still a ticket. Only now it was a ticket for her freedom.

She couldn't care any less about what happened to her distant father now. He'd chosen his path. And she sure as hell wasn't following in his footsteps. Maybe it was the fact that she'd never had a true role model, or maybe it was that he'd run off her mother and refused to let her go with her. But no.

The one thing that fueled her hatred was the fact that he was a horrible father. That was enough to send her into a fit alone. The very word made her blood boil. She'd never have to think of him again.

And she enjoyed the very feel that hit her like a freight train as she swung her legs out of the window.

_**The feeling sometimes, wishing you were someone else**_

_**Feeling as though you never belong**_

"In a world that spins so fast, nothing ever seems to last. Dancing with the wind, walking with the light. Talking to the animals, playing with the flowers. Breathing in the innocence, taking in the life. Hope resides in the light, hope hides in the smiles. Hope dances in the sky, hope hides in the light of the moon. Hope shines in the stars," He recited, as if reading from a book.

"You know, it doesn't say that it's Polaris," She muttered, still staring up at the star in awe. "It could be that one, or that one over there." She directed her index finger to the stars she was referring to, grinning when she heard her brother's annoyed grunt.

"Well that one shines the brightest," He stated, not giving Dana the time to finish her sentence. "Therefore, it has the most hope. And I doubt that anything in Draco or Scorpio compares."

"Why do they call 'em that again?"

"Because," He said, plopping down in the soft grass next to her. "They look like a scorpion and a dragon."

"Dragons don't exist, Zak. And that doesn't look like a scorpion."

"You've never seen a scorpion."

"Either have you," Dana said with a laugh, giving him a half-hearted shove to his shoulder. Zak laughed along as well, shaking his head at her. He laid back, putting his hands behind his head in a relaxed manner. She rolled over, laying her head on his belly. "Zak?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you really believe that Polaris is hope?"

"No."

She let out a gasp, throwing herself upwards, blond locks flying, and stared down at her brother in shock.

"Hope is everywhere."

She smiled, sitting crisscrossed.

"Aw," A voice emerged from the edge of the woods. "How adorable."

**_This feeling is not sadness, this feeling is not joy_**

**_I truly understand. Please, don't cry now_**

She walked down the cobblestone roads of Dublith, her head down as she walked past a group of rapacious-looking bouncers waiting outside a bar door. Her heart pounded as she hid snaked in behind two women, dressed red gowns. The vixens strolled down the staircase, closer to the pounding music of the pandemonium club. It was clear that a young girl didn't belong here. But she continued forward, careful to keep some space between her and the two women.

They came to an abrupt halt at the end of the staircase, making Kaede's heart skip a beat as she nearly rammed into the two. She held onto the hope that she was well-hidden behind the brunette's feather boa and the ginger's rather puffy, checkered skirt.

It felt as though her heart stopped when a deep, masculine voice spoke from the other side of the barrier that the women made.

"Ah, Jane, Tiana," The voice greeted, dripping with the venom that she immediately recognized as flirting, a tactic that her father had used so often. The right side of her lips drawing into a sick frown out of habit.

"Hiya, Greed," The brunette said, shifting slightly when the person grabbed her hand and pulled it up, most likely placing a kiss on it. Kaede couldn't tell. Her view was too restricted behind the two curvaceous women. She saw a faint flash of demonic, devilish eyes. She let out a faint gasp, her navy blue eyes wide.

She let out a shriek as she was yanked up by her collar, thrashing around for a moment as her feet were lifted off of the stone floor beneath her. She glared at the man who had lifted her off of the ground. He was dressed in a rust-colored tank and grey pants. His skin was a darker tone, his nose large and his ears a bit lower than they should've been. A small tuft of beige-looking hair rested atop his head, sticking upwards.

"Hey, boss. We've got a little curfew-breaker." The club laughed a bit, but the women who had stepped away from the entrance left the man who they'd been talking to exposed.

And he didn't look too pleased.

It all happened too fast. She was placed back onto her feet, and the man's hand wrapped around her arm firmly and dragged her to a room in the back. A shock of pain echoed through her body as his fingers tightened around her wrist. The door slammed behind them and she attempted pulling her arm free but to no avail.

"What do you think you're doing here, kid? Shouldn't you be back at your pop's place? I doubt he'd let his only daughter wander the street of Dublith at this time."

A small sound escaped the girl. "You're Greed?"

He slammed his hand against his forehead. "Who else would I be? What're you here for?"

"W-Well," She stuttered, finally managing to wrench her arm free. She rubbed her wrist. "I believe you knew my mother, A-"

She cut herself off. A burning sensation flared through her, emerging from her wrist. Her head pounded, as if a creature were trying to claw it's way out of her skull. Her hands flew up to her head, digging her head into her scalp.

"Woah, you okay kid?"

His final words were muffled as her mind blared out everything in the dimly lit room. Black spots gambolled in her vision, bouncing off of one another. She turned on her heel, bursting through the door. She ran through the club, not caring to excuse herself as tears streamed down her cheeks for the second time that night. White-hot pain stabbed her everywhere, scorching her skin and blinding her eyes. Through the screeching in her mind, she heard Greed calling after her.

She crashed into the bouncer, knocking him back a few feet with a new-found forcefulness. But she continued running. Running towards the moon.

And she didn't stop until she slouched against an alley wall, screaming through gritted teeth, slamming her head against the pavement as sparks flew from her body.

The alleyway sent red flashes bouncing off of puddles, and cats ran in the opposite direction as the girl screamed as though she was being torn apart from the inside out.

**_Please don't go, I want you to stay_**

**_I'm begging you please, please don't leave here_**

Shadows stretched across the field, violet eyes observing the children as they scattered. A man with long, dark green hair dressed in strange clothes stepped out of the brush, smirking. "A little girl and a little boy. The children of Elisa and Liam Reyes," Red sparks flew from his arm as it transformed into silver and his fingers molded together to form a sharp point. "Two down, two to go."

In the blink of an eye, he was beside them, throwing the girl into the shadows, laughing hysterically. Her petite hand clawed at the black mass, a scream ripping from her throat. "Zak!"

He reached out as the man grabbed the back of his shirt. "Dana!" He was cut off as he was tossed across the field like a ragdoll, skidding across the grassy terrain as the man kicked him in his side.

It all seemed unreal. An illusion. A sick and twisted illusion.

Dana crashed against the smooth, polished-feeling black wall. She scampered away with a wail as an eye peeled open next to her. The voice was eerie, bouncing off of the black dome's walls.

"Can you see the light?"

A small hole was gorged out of the ceiling, a small circle of moon light blinding her from above. She stood from the ground, sobbing silently to herself as blood seeped from her hand that had been cut in the fall. She looked around, her body shivering. Where was she? More importantly, who was in here with her?

"No? Well, if you're going to go, I at least want you to see it happen."

Suddenly, the edges of the circle shot down, forming a barrier around the girl. The black mass shot under her form and rocketed her upwards, towards the sky. Her small body wavered as her fingers twitched, her voice unreachable as her body formed a shadow in the pale moonlight. She felt the air hit her back as she began falling, but the feeling was stopped as the black mass shot through her back, emerging from her stomach as blood fell like rain.

"Dana," Zak muttered under his breath, tears brimming his eyes as he clutched his side, not caring when the man grabbed him by his hair, pulling him onto his feet.

"Oh, come on," He said. "Aren't you even going to put up a fight?"

Blood dribbled from the corner of Zak's lips.

Voices flooded the child's ears, making his world spin yet again on it's imaginary axis. He felt the man's grip tighten around his collar. He gulped. He didn't even know how to brace himself for the impact of the final blow. He sucked in a breath, closing his eyes and exhaling.

His eyelids redefined, as if he were staring at the sun. They flung open out of sheer curiosity.

Dana's body showered red sparks on the black shadows. The mass drew back, like a cat preparing to pounce. Her tiny body hit the ground with a sickening thud, a splash of metallic blood flying up as she hit. The exposed flesh peeled over like paint, new skin concealing the wound as her eyes stared blankly at the sky. Her lifeless body gave a final jerk as the sparks vanished.

And then darkness hit him like a freight train.


	2. Phase Two

**FINALLY FINISHED WITH CHAPTER TWO! God… And it's not even that long of a chapter… :( I'm so ashamed. R&R, Enjoy!**

**And shout out to Kait-chan, thank you so much. I couldn't stop smiling as I read your comment. :)**

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own FMA.**

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_**Phase Two: Among Demons**_

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_What's wrong with me?_

_Why do I feel like this?_

_I'm going crazy now._

_-Rihanna, Disturbia_

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Her heart pounded inside of her chest as the door cracked open with a loud, uncanny creek. She squinted as the light hit her line of sight. It opened wide enough for the shadow of a person to cut out the light, leaving only slivers. The only sound left was her raspy breathing that made her lungs burn. Strangely, she didn't feel a single wave of fear wash over her. Her body was numb, so numb that she couldn't even curse at the people who entered the stone chamber.

Her arms were suspended above her head by chains, her head tilted to the side and resting on her upper arm.

In the darkness of the damp, dark room, she saw glowing red eyes through her half-lidded ones.

Something shot out of the light, straight for her at the speed of light. A loud clash as the mysterious item hit the chains, causing for her arms to fall down to her sides and hit the cobblestone with small thuds. She didn't even have the strength left in her to cringe. The small bits of the chains hanging from the wall jingled as they banged against the wall.

The item lowered, down past her face. Yet, she still couldn't interpret what it was. It stopped just below her chin, poking against her neck. The dazed feeling her flesh had become accustomed to tittered as the object slowly sunk into the skin, not deep enough to cause problems for her, but enough to retrieve the sensations of torment and burning.

Four more shot out of the light, nicking her skin in various places. Sensitivity raged through her, causing her face to finally cringe in discomfort.

"Wakey wakey," A voice, sleek and alluring in such a sadistic way, echoed off the walls in the small chamber. "You've got a few people who wanna meet you."

She was unsure if it was the beguiling tone in the voice or the way it emphasised the word 'meet,' but she, at last, felt fear wash over her very soul.

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"-for a whole day. They-"

The words blared out once more.

"-Colonel Liam Reye's children. Rather-"

Once more.

"-reacted badly when we had physical con-"

The voice's tone had changed to a younger, yet more professional tone before deafening again.

She silently opened her doughy eyes. Her face was pressed against cold pavement. Her body had been either placed or dropped in fashion that left her laying on her side with one arm uncomfortably beneath her. Judging by the way her elbow was crammed into her ribcage, she'd have to say she was dropped.

"No. The brat healed herself after Pride stabbed her-"

Her eyes absent mindedly drifted down to her stomach. Her once beautiful violaceous dress was split over her stomach, revealing smooth skin beneath. The end of her dress' skirt had been torn to some extent, leaving it just below her knees rather than her ankles.

Her eyes drifted towards the snobbish, clearly teenage speaker.

Long hair with a greenish tint concealed her view, but she could precisely tell that he didn't have much clothing on. Something about the voice struck a familiar feeling in her gut.

Air caught in her throat as their head turned slightly, just enough to show the outline of their face. He'd attack Zak. The unreleased air caused a cough to build up inside of her. As it finally broke free, blood splattered the pavement in front of her face, leaving her wide-eyed.

The person turned full circle, staring down at her with a look of equal surprise.

"Ah," Another voice chimed in. "Looks like the little bastards are waking up."

"Shut it, Lust."

"Both of you be quiet."

The last voice sent a chill down her spine.

"Dana?"

Zak. Zak's voice sparked hope and awareness within her. She found her inner strength and used it to place her hand on the cement and push herself up slightly. Her form seemed lighter as she did so. But she realized that her arms weren't pushing herself up.

She was being lifted.

Her hands fumbled for purchase until an all too familiar black mass wrapped firmly around her arms. Gasping for air, she attempted to writhe out of it's hold. She let out an ear piercing scream as the mass snaked up her arms, across her shoulders, down her legs, draping over her collarbone.

She tried to move but to no avail. Her body was immobilized, trembling with effort under the blackness.

Another form was molded next to her. She tried to crane her neck to see, but the mass wouldn't budge. Nonetheless, the mass inched the other body forward until they were side by side. Zak was unresponsive, head lolling forward in his dazed state.

"Zak?" The uncertainty in her voice didn't sound like it belonged to her.

Her brother's brown hair was disheveled, the look in his eyes distant and unfocused. He'd never been unfocused a day in his life, she was sure of that. Her heart strings pulled as his head lifted a bit, his bronze eyes wide. His head turned in her direction, and she could see that his pupils were a nearly unnoticeable, distinct, in her eyes, violet.

"D-Dana," His voice came out shakier than it first had. Tears brimmed both of their eyes. "You're bl-lurry."

Her eyes widened. Well, it looked like those eyes literally said it all then.

A loud growl emerged from the opposite side of the room. Their eyes darted up, her's faster than Zak's confused ones.

They only saw it for a split second, a flash of scarlet flying towards the long-haired man that had attacked them before, three flashes of black shooting straight through the scarlet as though it was butter.

The blurriness eventually cleared, revealing a rather horrifying sight to their young, innocent eyes.

Long, raven hair that once cascaded in waves down a young girl's back was now chopped off just beneath her shoulder blades, the dying locks several feet prior in a mound on the floor. Black blade-like extensions cut straight through her palms and upper arms. Navy eyes shone through her hair hair that had fallen back due to her back being arched in a most uncomfortable-looking position. Violet glimmers, more like specks or dashes, were spread over her eyes in random places straight across her orbs.

Dana's innocent eyes trailed along the bloodied spears, body trembling beneath the blanket of black.

A positively beautiful woman with long, wavy black hair glared at the stabbed girl with a small smile. Her arms extended forward, her index and middle fingers on each hand held out like a pair of scissors each. She inched her arms upward, causing the girl to lift up.

A agonizing cry escaped the girl as the blades dug in deeper, moving upwards in her flesh. She was finally in a standing position, sweat beading along her forehead as she glared directly ahead of her.

Dana's head followed her eyesight, still cringing from the cry that had left the other child. Her breath caught in her throat as she pale golden eyes stared back at her. The man looked as though he was smug, sitting upon a throne of stone.

The long, black haired man in strange clothing flipped over onto his hands, performing a handstand and staring at the three of them with a smirk.

"Well? Did you like you're welcoming party," He asked before letting go of a purely demonic chuckle. "You'll be here for a _while_."


End file.
